Automatic restaurant



H. A. HALL. AUTOMATIC RESTAURANT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1919.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A fro/mmf' Hf A. HAI L.

- AUTOMATIC RESTAURANT,

APPLICATION FILED IuLyaI. I9I9.

1,389,656. I Pawndsepf. 6,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- HQA. HALL.

AUTOMATIC RESTAURANT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1919.

imma sept. 6,1921,

3 SHEETS-SHEET@ Afro/MHS.

UNITED ,STATES- PATENT; oFF-ics.

HUGH A. F PHHADELPHIA5-PENNSYLYANIA.

AUTOMATIC RESTAURANT.

'Speeicationy of Letters Patent. l

Patented sept 6,1921.

Application ined my ai, i919. seriai'no. 314,431.

To allwhom at may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH A. I-LALL, a

citizen of the United States, residin in the l novel construction is employed and wherein the diiferent articles to be vended are conveyed into a position f accessible tothe intending purchaser in order that he may make a desired selection and,- upon depositingin the machine the proper coin or coins,

i remove the article he has purchased.

It. further comprehends a novel'construction of an-article conveyer, novel means for actuating it, and a novel construction of an article container having Va front delivery opening which is provided with a coin-controlled door. l

Other novel features ofV constructionI and advantage will be more clearly set forth in the detailed description of the embodiment of the invention herein shown.

Forthe purpose of illustrating my inven` tion, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, forms thereof which are at present preferred by me, Vsince the' will give in practice satisfactory and relia le results.

It is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can-be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure l represents a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 2, of an automatic restaurant embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

ig. 3 represents a sectional elevation of another embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 4 represents diagrammatically the coin-controlled mechanism for eifecting the unlocking of the front delivery door of an article compartment.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

1 designates a supporting frame-work, the construction of which will vary in accordwith a guide way 8 in which travel the rollers 9 to which'are connected the upwardl lextending rods 10. These rods pass throug overlapping apertured lugs 11 carried by the juxtaposed side walls of articlereceivin compartments 12. The rods 10 are provided with collars 13, to vwhich are connected a sprocket .chain 14, which is driven' by a sprocketV wheel 15 mounted on a shaft 16 which is journaled in the conveyer support 7 and in a bracket 17 carried by one of the sides 3. The shaft 16 is provided at its lower end with a worm wheel 18 which meshes'with a worm gear 19 on the shaft of the motor 20. This motor is preferabl an electric motor,v and the'a'rrangement o the gearing is such that a slow travel is imparted l to the article-receiving compartments 12.

means of a door 26, preferably curved, constructed of trans arent material, so that the articles to be ven ed, which have been placed in the article compartments, can be readily seen bythe intending purchaser, as such compartments move toward him.

The front delivery door 26 is hinged at one side, as at 27, and a spring 28 is provided, one end of which is fastened to the door, and the other end of which is fixedto the wall of an article receiving compartment, so that the spring retains the door normally in its closedposition.

Any desired type of coin-controlled mechvinterposed a spring anism for the front delivery door may b e employed, and in order to illustrate one construction of an operative locking -mechanism, I have preferred to show it as cor-- responding in construction and operation with that disclosed in Fig. 8 of my prior patent, No. 1,183,557, dated May 16th, 1916.

Each door is locked by means of a plunger 21 interlocking with it in any desired manner, and as illustrated, each plunger is adapted to move in a stationary guide 29. Each plunger is connected with its respective solenoid plunger 30 of a solenoid 31. The solenoid 31 is provided with a rod 3 2, which moves in a stationary guide 33, and between this guide and the plunger 30 is 34. One end of the coil of the solenoid is connected to the battery 35 by means of a line 36, and the other end of the coil of the solenoid is connected with the coin chute 39 by means of a line 37. The battery is connected by a line 38 with y the coin chute 40 which registers with the coin chute 39.

41 designates a plunger adapted to move into the coin chute 40 and provided with c01- lars 42 between which is located the free end of an arm 43, the other end of which is adjustably connected to the plunger shaft 28 of the solenoid. Vhen the door is locked, the solenoid and its adjuncts appear as in Fig. 4.

,44 designates a conveyer top or cover which is carried by posts 45, resting on the conveyer support 7.

The vending mechanism is placed in a building which is provided with a partition 48 through which the conveyer travels. This partition 48 divides the room into a salesroom 46 and a kitchen 47.

The operation of my novel automatic restaurant, will now be readily apparent to those skilled in this art, as follows The attendant in the kitchen places in the article compartments 12, the articles of food which are to be vended. The motor 20 im# parts to the conveyer a slow .travel so thatVV the intending purchasers who are sitting or Standing infront of the compartments 5,

can see the articles within an article container as the latter comes into a position accessible to him. t If he desires to'purchase an article, he places a coin of the proper denomination in the coin slot in the machine. This coin enters the coin chute 39, and passes into the coin chute 40 and is arrested by the plunger 41, therebyclosing the circuit and energizing the solenoid 31.

This causes the plunger 30 to move outwardly, and move the locking plunger 21 vout of engagement with its respective door 26, against the tension of the spring 34.

The purchaser now opens the front delivery door which is unlocked and removes the article purchased from an article container 12. The spring 28 causes the door to close, and the outward movement of the plunger arm 21 moves the plunger 41 out of the path of the coin so that it can descend through the chute 40 into a desired receptacle (not shown).

The article containers during their continuous travel, return to the kitchen where any that are empty can be replenished by the attendant.

It will be understood fromthe foregoing that in accordance with my present invention, I provide a conveyer having a series of individual article receiving compartments, each of such compartments being prqvided with a coin-controlled front delivery door. The coin is deposited in a coin slot in the front wall of the article container, such slot being of proper dimensions. to receivea predetermined coin. The coin passes from the coin slot into the coin chute and effects the unlocking of the door, in the manner already described. The only difference shown in the construction of Figs. 1 and 3is that in Fig. 3, a plurality of superimposed article compartments are employed, while in'Fig..1, a single line of article receiving compartments are shown, and it is within the scope of my invention, to employ as many superimposed article receiving compartments as may be necessary to meet conditions and requirements.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a 'novel and useful automatic restaurant whichembodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above descrip-v tion, and while I ha.ve,in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that such embodiment is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

.1. In an automatic restaurant, a conveyer having a series of article receiving compartments,each of which is provided with a coin controlled delivery door, and having juxtaposed Walls pivotally connected at their outer ends, and means to actuate said conveyer.

2. 'In an automatic restaurant, a conveyer having a series of article receiving compartments, each of which is provided with a coin controlled delivery door, and having juxtaposed walls pivotally connected at their outer ends, the side walls of a compartment converging rearwardly.

3. In an automatic restaurant, a conveyer comprising a series of article receiving compartments having their side walls converging rearwardly, provided lwith front delivery openings and having coin controlled front delivery doors, the side walls of juxtaposed compartments at theirfront ends being pivotally connected and having a conveyer chain operatively connected with said compartments, in combination with means to actuate said conve er chain. v v

4;. n an automatic restaurant, a support having a guide way therein, rods having members guided in said guide Way, a series of article containers carried b .said rods, and provided with coin control ed front delivery openings, and means coperating with said rods to effect the container. l

5. In an automatic restaurant, a conveyer` travel of Said article support having a guide way, rollers in said guide way, rods carried by said rollers, 20

to effect thetravel of said compartments, and 26 means to actuate said s rocket chain. UGH A. HALL. Witnesses:

H. S. FAIRBANKs, C. D. MoVAr. 

